Bellwork – January 22

1. Bellwork – January 22 • Put these events in the correct order: • The Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution goes into effect • The U.S. Supreme Court hears the case of Plessy V. Ferguson • The Ten Percent Plan for reconstruction of the South is developed • Andrew Johnson is sworn in as president of the United States • Rutherford B. Hayes prevails in a disputed election

2. The Mining Boom • What were the natural resources that were most valuable for mining companies? • Silver and gold • How were these precious metals shipped back to the East? • They used the growing railroad network

3. The Mining Boom • Who was Henry Comstock? • A miner who discovered a rich, deep deposit of gold and silver in Nevada in 1859 • How much money was the Comstock Lode worth? • It was worth more than $500 million • Did you know? – Nevada is known as the “Silver State”

4. The Mining Boom • What made mining dangerous? • Unsafe equipment • Poor conditions inside the mines • Dusty air • Cave-ins • Fire • Why do you think people from other countries came to America to work the mines? • They needed jobs • They thought they could get rich by mining • They came to escape poor conditions in their old countries

5. The Mining Boom • What is a boomtown? • A community that was created by the mining industry to support the workers • How did women help support the boomtown economy? • Washing • Cooking • Making clothes • Chopping wood • Raising families • Teaching • Newspaper writing • Why do you think boomtowns often disappeared after the local mine closed? • The whole economy centered around the mine, so when the mine faltered, the economy did, too.

6. Other Strikes • Idaho – 1860 to 1862 • Virginia City, Montana – 1863 • Black Hills, South Dakota – 1876 • Tombstone, Arizona – 1877 • Cripple Creek, Colorado – 1892 • Klondike River, Yukon Territory, Canada – 1897 • Alaska - 1899